Full circle Why Should I Care

Why Should I Care?

Do people really get what's coming to them? Say someone lies, cheats, and steals. Does that person have to pay at some point? This quote makes us think of some pretty heavy hitting questions about fate, karma, and the universe.

No matter how bad Edmund behaves in the play, it's hard not to feel a little bit sorry for the guy. He's mocked by his dad for something that's not his fault (being illegitimate) the entire play.

Imagine yourself at a party and your dad says: "Oh, here's my son. His mom was a prostitute, but we had fun together, so here he is." Wouldn't that make you mad? Wouldn't it make you want to get even? How about if it happened again and again? The play makes it pretty clear that this is a standard conversation for Edmund and his dad.

But does that excuse him running off and poisoning his dad against his brother, and then starting a war? Hmm… Shakespeare doesn't make this as black and white as we would like. He loves those shades of grey. And that's the point. This one gets us thinking about whether we have to pay for what we've done, or if we're justified in acting a certain way when we've been wronged.

At some point we've got to decide: is it okay to be a jerk when your dad is constantly mean to you, or do you have to take responsibility of your own actions? For Edmund, things come full circle, but does that happen to everyone? Do we all have to pay for what we've done to others?

We'll leave that one to you, Shmoopers.